In Pictures: Facts about America’s Slow Economic Recovery

Sure, the U.S. economy is recovering, but it’s doing so at a very…slow… rate. Some on the left, including the President, paint America’s bounce-back as a roaring surge of job creation, but in truth it’s more of a whimper, as the following four charts show.

1) The recovery is still lagging, even 49 months after the recession began. Heritage’s James Sherk writes in a new paper that “In the last quarter of 2011, net hiring amounted to only 4.0 percent of the available labor supply—more than 40 percent less than during the recovery in 1983.” Private-sector employment is 4.5 percent below pre-recession levels, and America is seeing the slowest recovery since World War II.

2) Unemployment down, but look at the labor force participation rate. Only 63.7 percent of adult Americans are active in the work force — meaning they have a job or are looking for one. That’s the lowest since 1983. To put it another way, millions of Americans have given up trying to work.

3) The economy is adding jobs, but slowly. The 243,000 net new jobs added in January is good news, but the pace of growth is nothing to write home about. The current economic recovery is far below any other recovery since the 1960s.

4.) Hiring is down more than 18 percent. Yes, jobs are being created, but hiring has fallen sharply and has only partially recovered. That’s why unemployment remains high.

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The reason why the numbers don't look good is because this administration is using the typical European Socialist economic model to direct the economy.. I would guess that the charts and graphs would match up perfectly to the effects on the European Community once it was created 10+ years ago. This is why the recovery is not matching up to previous years and previous depressions. Drive the point home that we are on a European Track and not an American Track recovery and people might have a malox moment. 8-)

Clinton left Bush a President most highly rated of any peacetime President in Asia, Africa, Europe.
Bush left Obama the most hated President in history
Bush left Obama an Housing Tsunami and Financial Volcano
Bush left Obama, in 2008, an 8500B Bail out commitment Yes! 8500 not just 700
Bush left Obama his Takeover of Fannie/Freddie, AIG, and first bailout of Chrysler
Bush increased maximum loan by Fannie/Freddie from $153,000 in 2000 to $300,000 then to $729,000
That is how F&F got stuck with so many toxic mortgages. Bush gift to Big Bank pals.
Bush increased FDIC maximum deposit coverage from $100,000 to $250,000. Help the rich.
clarence swinney–political historian–lifeaholics of america burlington nc
author-Lifeaholic–Life story of Workaholic failure to Lifeaholic success
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I guess you havent heard that elected progressive representatives in "both parties", regulated bank monopolies to force them to lose profits by giving loans to extremely under qualified individuals then tell the media to call it "bank induced toxic loans"

" look at the labor force participation rate. Only 63.7 percent of adult Americans are active in the work force — meaning they have a job or are looking for one. That’s the lowest since 1983. To put it another way, millions of Americans have given up trying to work."

Okay, but also, people are getting older…and our demographic profile is changing….so some of these may simply be retired? Please elaborate on how much of decrease in labor force participation rate is due to an increased percentage of people of retirement age.

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